An Ancient Regional Security Complex on the Rise : The Nile Water Controversy from the Perspective of Egypt

Abstract

The terminology and theory of “regional security complexes” (RSC) may be new, yet, the underlying factors, causes and characteristics are as old as human civilization and/or the River Nile. Out of the eleven countries the Nile is flowing through, Ethiopia and Egypt – with in-between Sudan – are “hosting” the Blue Nile, which carries about 85% of all the river’s water. With both Egypt and Ethiopia trying to cope with a rapidly growing (exploding) population of already over one hundred million each, as well as the necessity of providing food and electricity, water sharing has become an imminent task and a direct threat for both. Thus, the recent – but already decade-long – hostility between Egypt and Ethiopia over the sharing of the water of the river resulted in the emergence of a new regional security sub-complex, that of the Nile basin.